Happy Conference Weekend!

This is Josh's email from October 3, 2016.

This week was a good one only made better by the General Conference weekend and inspired messages that were shared by those who possess the spiritual keys of the kingdom of God. 

We were not able to teach many of our investigators this week due to their hectic work schedules, but 6 of them were able to watch conference on Sunday, which is a blessing because it helps set them up to receive personal revelation on their own. 

On Tuesday morning we helped the mother of Marie Antonietta and Fabiana pick up a washer and dryer and carry it up 3 flights of stairs to their apartment. It reminded me of my days working at Lightning Forge carrying really heavy things up multiple flights of stairs as well as how out of shape I am. But nonetheless we got the job done without injury or death and now they have their own washer and dryer! Later that same day we had English class with all our favorite Venezuelans and the students somehow found out it was my birthday and brought stuff to celebrate, so that was pretty nice! A picture is attached.

On Thursday we taught a less-active who has been going through a difficult time in his life. When we first started talking he was really down on himself and his situation and was in tears. However, as we listened and shared the Mormon message "Mountains to Climb" he started to brighten up and feel a lot better. It's experiences like that one that make my mission a fulfilling one. To be able to bring joy, light, and hope daily into the lives of others who don't have much hope or happiness is a blessing. 

We were able to watch all of General Conference, mostly in English. We did watch one session in Spanish, and I found I could understand about 90% of it. When they told stories, they threw in a few words I didn't know, so I got a little lost. It was SOOOOO good. J Devn Cornish was one of my favorites, for sure.

I loved all of the talks from conference, but the one that stuck out to me was Elder Lynn G. Robbins's talk about sacrifice. He said something to the effect of "Our unwillingness to make relatively small sacrifices in our lives mocks Christ's greater, more difficult sacrifice." Jesus' gospel is one that requires sacrifice as well as our whole heart, might, mind, and strength. We cannot hold anything back because then God is not able to shape us into who we ultimately want to be. And no trial or hardship that we may go through will ever come close to the trials and difficulties the Savior experienced while He went through His mortal ministry. I am eternally grateful for Jesus and all He did for me and I only want to serve Him to the best of my abilities so I can help others feel of His divine love that inspires us to change.

The Venezuelan squad: Marie Antonietta, her mother Yadira, Daniela, Flore, and Gabriela and her kids